Hurley spelled the word "emanciptation" (with an extra "T"), and Trebek said he "misspelled it badly" and said the judges ruled his response incorrect. The boy hung his head, and seemed to mouth the word "what?" Then, the host noted that winner Skyler Hornback's response was spelled correctly. The decision did not affect the game's outcome; Hornback had an insurmountable lead.

Still, Hurley is upset that he lost $3,000 over an extra letter. "I was pretty upset that I was cheated out of the final 'Jeopardy!' question. It was just a spelling error," he told the Danbury News-Times.

His father is angrier, saying Trebek "basically humiliated" his son on television.

"The kid wouldn't have won either way — but that's not the point," Katie Wanta wrote on the "Jeopardy!" Facebook page. "The way Alex handled the situation was the issue, imo. He didn't need to go beyond 'it was spelled wrong and ruled incorrect, sorry' he didn't need to make a dig that the winner spelled things correctly and embarrass the poor kid for his mistake."

Another viewer, Aymee Harvey Combs, chimed in, "I understand that rules are rules and with that being said.......I thought the way Alex handle the situation was terrible........He appeared as a pretentious SNOB stating the word was misspelled badly.........they are kids for goodness sakes!!!!!!"

Alex Trebek really did come across as an ass to that kid. "Misspelled badly"? Really? He should see my spelling skills. #Jeopardy

Trebek hasn't spoken out about Hurley's treatment, but "Jeopardy!" producers defended their decision in an email to media.

"If 'Jeopardy!' were to give credit for an incorrect response (however minor), the show would effectively penalize the other players," they wrote. "We love presenting young people as contestants on our show and make every effort to be fair and consistent in their treatment."